Many communication devices are used as portable electronic devices, such as cellphones, that utilize different types of input devices of different complexities. The input device may include a touchscreen, such as a resistive touchscreen, capacitive touchscreen, or optical touchscreen, or active digitizer. A resistive touchscreen may detect pressure on the surface of the touchscreen, such as pressure from a fingertip or a tip of a stylus, and register input by locating the position and movement of the detected pressure. A capacitive touchscreen may detect the presence of a conductive element, such as a part of the human body, to register input based on whether the conductive element is near a location on the screen. An optical touchscreen may detect the absence of light between a light source and an optical detector to register input. For example, a human fingertip may block the transmission of light between the light source and optical detector to enable a user to provide input to a communication device. An active digitizer may register input from a stylus by detecting one or more inputs, such as pressure on the surface of the touchscreen and the presence of a conductive element. Communication devices may also include circuitry to detect and process input from the input device.
Present portable electronic devices do not require physical controls but may require visual attention from a user to provide input. However, there are situations in which it may not be feasible for a user to dedicate visual attention to provide input and to confirm whether the input was detected properly. For example, in a situation in which a user is operating another device or machine, such as a vehicle, dedicated visual attention of the user may be at a premium. Moreover, some input devices may not satisfy operational requirements in rugged environments and may need to satisfy one or more environmental tests that raise the cost of the input device.
There exists a limitation with respect to functionality where no mechanisms currently exist for an input device of a portable electronic device to provide input without requiring visual attention from the user and to satisfy the operational requirements in rugged environments. This functionality typically may not be achieved by simply electrically coupling an input device to the portable electronic device.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by suitable symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.